I wonder if the poor old programmers will get a pat on the back if everything doesn't fall apart due to y2k? :)

Mebbe, just perhaps, as a bunch, they're smarter than most folks givem credit for?

--Fletch

-- Fletch (fletch@picknowl.com.au), December 21, 1999

Answers

Dear Fletch, It's not what the programmers did, but the way technology and management initially refused to accept the fact that a problem in just using two digits in a date,existed.

A hell of a lot of embedded chips WILL cause fallovers, not just the way programs have been or are written.

In your case, in Adelaide, I would be stocking up on water as much as possible NOW, as if the pumping systems go "toes up" in your summer heat, your going to get awfull thisty! (your utility has just been sold to China {Hong Kong} hasn't it?)

Why people are rushing around buying satellite phones beats me as they are just as vunerable, the only one likely to work are the Irridium ones (company now in recievership) as their satelites are newer than the rest!

Good luck to you all

-- scarletbreasted (scarletbreasted@hotmail.com), December 21, 1999.

I think people will really dislike engineers/programmers. Gonna go be a housewife for awhile. Pam

-- Pamela (jpjgood@penn.com), December 21, 1999.

I think that engineers and programmers don't give a hoot what you people think. That's why they pay us the big bucks.

-- (I@know.I don't), December 21, 1999.

Yep, and at Nuremburg the Nazi's said "I was just doing my job", "I was just taking orders." They were found guilty and hanged. Any progammer who programmed a two digit year - while cognizant of the shear folly of it - but did it anyway because "I was just doing my job; I was just taking orders" - deserves the blame that society is about to heap on them. Oh, and by the way, I'm a "progammer". A very successful one at that.

-- "Gonna find out who's nice and prepared" (SantaClaws@poleposition.com), December 21, 1999.

A fireman told me the first thing that happens in any rescue is NOT thankyou. The first thing IS fingerpointing. Lots of fingers are already pointing. This means it's already a crisis in the pointer's mind. It's easy to figure who is being setup to take each fall.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 21, 1999.

It's just not that simple to blame programmers alone. What about attorneys? Gov officials, fed/state/county/city? Media? Corporations? Bankers?

Naturally, in my opinion, the ultimate blame belongs to a society which so willingly allowed itself to become weak and dependant upon anyone and anything but themselves to provide everything their selfish, lazy little hearts desired. As quickly and elaborately as possible. It's bad enough this society expects it. Demanding it will become quite ugly.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), December 21, 1999.

"Yep, and at Nuremburg the Nazi's said "I was just doing my job", "I was just taking orders." They were found guilty and hanged. Any progammer who programmed a two digit year - while cognizant of the shear folly of it - but did it anyway because "I was just doing my job; I was just taking orders" - deserves the blame that society is about to heap on them. Oh, and by the way, I'm a "progammer". A very successful one at that.

-- "Gonna find out who's nice and prepared" (SantaClaws@poleposition.com), December 21, 1999."

Never have I seen a more ridiculous or illogical statement.

-- Barney (getagrip@hotmail.com), December 21, 1999.

>> ...at Nuremburg the Nazi's said...<<

Time to invoke Godwin's Law.

Long, long ago a shrewd man named Godwin observed on Usenet that as soon as someone used Nazis to illustrate their point all useful discussion on the thread had already ended.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), December 21, 1999.

"Long, long ago a shrewd man named Godwin observed on Usenet that as soon as someone used Nazis to illustrate their point all useful discussion on the thread had already ended."

Guess what, he was wrong. Some very good arguments can be made by citing incidents that occurred in Europe during the middle part of this century.

Also it's possible to discuss those incidents at length w/o using the "N" word or mentioning "H" by name.

As I recall Godwin was responsible for deleting some interesting discussions on Usenet. Maybe he would have enjoyed a good book-burning, had he been in a certain country in a certain period of time.

-- let's not be (idiots@about.this), December 21, 1999.

Fletch - Chevy Chase's last stand. Of course, Christmas Vacation was pretty hilarious at times. It was a real shame about his talkshow.

-- mil (millenium@yahoo.com), December 22, 1999.